Advertising and marketing | UK Regulatory Outlook April 2026

UK updates 

ASA publishes first rulings on LHF advertising restrictions 

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a series of rulings clarifying how the "less healthy" food (LHF) advertising restrictions, which came into effect on 5 January 2026, and the Committee of Advertising Practice's implementation guidance apply in practice.  

The rules prohibit: advertising and sponsorship for "identifiable" LHF products on Ofcom-licensed TV services and Ofcom-regulated on-demand programme services between 05:30 and 21:00; and paid-for ads for "identifiable" LHF products intended to be accessed principally by persons in the UK, at any time. 

The ASA addressed the "identifiability" test, whether the products featured were HFSS (high in fat, salt and sugar), and cases where an LHF product appeared purely incidentally. 

UK government consults on applying the new NPM to advertising and promotions restrictions for LHF  

All advertising and promotions restrictions (including the above) are currently underpinned by the UK nutrient profiling model (NPM) 2004 to 2005. NPM is a technical tool that determines which food and drinks are "less healthy" by balancing the beneficial nutrients against less beneficial nutrients in these products and producing a score. 

There is a two-step process to determine which products are less healthy and in scope of the restrictions: (i) determine the product category (it must fall into one of the food and drink categories in the regulations); and (ii) calculate the NPM score: the product is only in scope of the restrictions if it is also assessed under the NPM 2004 to 2005 and receives a score of "4" or above for food or "1" or above for drinks. The technical guidance in the NPM 2004 to 2005 provides instructions on how to calculate the NPM score for different products. 

Following a review of the NPM 2004 to 2005, the government has published an updated version (the NPM 2018) which also includes updates to the technical guidance. The NPM 2018 has not yet been applied to policy.  

The government's view is that it is now right to apply the NPM 2018 to advertising and promotions restrictions and, on 25 March 2026, it published a consultation, closing on 17 June 2026, seeking views on: 

• The impact of its proposals on children, businesses and groups with protected characteristics. The main difference under the new NPM is that it implements the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommendation that free sugars make up no more than 5% of energy intake. This change means that some products that would be defined as "healthier" by the NPM 2004 to 2005 would be defined as "less healthy" using the NPM 2018. The new NPM is also slightly stricter on points for saturated fat and energy, meaning more savoury snacks will be classified as "less healthy".
• The timescales for implementing its proposals – the government proposes a 12-month adaptation period for businesses and enforcement authorities.  

Regulators launch joint taskforce to address poor practice in motor finance claims 

The ASA, together with the Financial Conduct Authority, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Information Commissioner's Office, has launched a taskforce to tackle the poor handling of motor finance claims by some claims management companies and law firms.  

The regulators will share intelligence and take co-ordinated and targeted action to mitigate harm to consumers, addressing issues including unsolicited and misleading advertising, meritless claims, multiple representation and unfair exit fees. See also fintech, digital assets, payments and consumer credit section. 

International updates 

ICC publishes guide on applying its Advertising and Marketing Communications Code to AI 

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has published a guide setting out how to apply the ICC Advertising and Marketing Communications Code when using AI.  

The code provides practical guidance to advertising industry stakeholders, including advertisers, advertising agencies, self-regulatory advertising organisations and national governments. The most recent update to it was published in 2024 and explicitly incorporated AI into its provisions. 

The guide outlines: (i) an overview of relevant code principles and commentary on their application in the context of AI; (ii) a checklist for organisations looking to deploy AI in their advertising and marketing campaigns and for marketers already using AI; and (iii) suggested questions to consider to ensure compliance with the code and general advertising and marketing practices.